When Jacob Barker’s parents noticed a glare on his left eye, they took him to an eye doctor, who referred the family to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. In September 2014, he was diagnosed with advanced retinoblastoma and a 75 percent chance to keep vision in his eye.

“We had no idea what to expect,” Ronnie Barker, Jacob’s father, said. “As we walked in the first day, me and my wife were scared to death.”

Since that day, Jacob, now 4 years old, has received nearly a dozen rounds of chemotherapy and five additional shots of chemotherapy in his eye. After radiation, Barker said they felt the best move for their son would be to remove his left eye and replace it with a prosthetic last November. At his most recent checkup, there was no sign of disease.

St. Jude contributed more than $50,000 in chemotherapy treatments alone to the Barkers. In addition to medical treatments, the hospital provided money for food and gas, family events and housing through the Ronald McDonald House when the family had to travel from their home in Jackson for treatment in Memphis.

“The nurses that treated Jacob were just amazing,” Barker said. “They helped ease our minds about what we needed to do next, and they do everything they can to make your kid think they're not sick.”

Ronnie and Melissa Barker with their kids, Baylee and Jacob.(Photo: Submitted)

After all the support from St. Jude, the Barker family wanted to give back to the organization and pay tribute to their son with the inaugural Jacob Barker Music Festival.

The two-day event will showcase more than 20 musicians who each have roots in Jackson. There is no admission fee for the festival, but donations for St. Jude will be accepted at the door.

Jon Sharp, who coordinated performers for the festival, said the idea for the benefit started small — a couple of bands in the Little Rebel passing around a hat to take up donations.

“After I made a couple Facebook posts, the response was overwhelming,” Sharp said. “Inside 48 hours, this thing turned into two stages, two days and 20-something bands.”

Sharp said he has had to turn bands away because so many wanted to participate when they learned about the Barker family. Jupiter Stone, Artifas, Insect to Monarch, Mutual Live, Echoes, Chinese Connection Dub Embassy, Lamar Avenue Love, Clay Markley Crisis, Shifty Nixon and the Skeleton Crew will be performing among others.

“Everything is centered around Jacob,” Sharp said. “This 4-year-old kid has been an inspiration to all of us. The musicians aren’t getting paid, and it’s a 100 percent charitable event.”

The committee has planned to have the festival professionally recorded, and CDs and DVDs will be available for purchase after the shows.

Attendees are asked to bring their own lawn chairs, but leave the coolers at home. Vendors will sell food, and there will be a silent auction featuring items from sponsors. All funds raised from the festival will go directly toward St. Jude and the Ronald McDonald House.

The show starts April 15 from 3 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and will continue April 16 from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the outdoor amphitheater at the Farmers Market (the AMP,) at 91 New Market St. downtown. For more information and a full list of performances, find "Jacob Barker Fund" on Facebook.

Reach Danica at (731) 425-9643. Follow her on Twitter: @danicasmithwick.